Nissan plans to exit the petrol engine game


Alkesh Sharma
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Nissan Motor, Japan's second-largest car maker will stop producing new internal combustion engines in all major markets, except the US, as the company moves to focus more on electric vehicles, the Nikkei daily reported.

The Yokohama-based carmaker will continue limited production of its petrol engines for the US market, mainly for pickup trucks, the Japanese newspaper reported, without citing any sources.

No timeframe was provided as to when Nissan would make the transition.

The company, which pioneered EV technology with the Nissan Leaf, has already halted manufacturing petrol engines for sale in Europe.

Nissan Motor's EV concept car is displayed at the company's showroom in Yokohama. AFP
Nissan Motor's EV concept car is displayed at the company's showroom in Yokohama. AFP

In November, it said it would spend about $18 billion over five years to boost its vehicle electrification projects. The company pans to launch 23 new EVs — including petrol-electric hybrids — in the next eight years. Almost half of Nissan's vehicle mix will be electrified by 2030, the company said.

The company plans to release its new EV, Ariya, in North America later this year and has already started accepting bookings.

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Nissan will make improvements to existing engine designs rather than develop new ones, Nikkei said. The company has no plans to shut its existing plants or cut any jobs, according to the report.

Shipments of EVs are expected to rise by almost 35 per cent on an annual basis this year as governments introduce regulations and incentives to help the industry's growth, Connecticut-based research agency and consultancy Gartner said.

About 6.4 million EV units are expected to be sold this year, 1.6 million more than 2021, the report said.

Restrictive emissions and fuel efficiency regulations have forced global car manufacturers to focus on vehicles that are more environmentally friendly.

Last month, German-owned luxury car brand Bentley announced that its first EV would be ready by 2025, as it unveiled major investments towards becoming a fully carbon-zero company.

Parent group Volkswagen — whose 12 brands include Audi, Porsche and Skoda — is pumping $39bn into the shift to EVs and aims to become the world's largest electric carmaker by 2025.

In January last year, General Motors, the largest US carmaker, unveiled plans to eliminate petrol and diesel light-duty cars, including SUVs, by 2035.

Visitors look at the motor compartment of a Nissan Kicks E-Power electric car during the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2021 in Tanggerang, Indonesia in November 2021. EPA
Visitors look at the motor compartment of a Nissan Kicks E-Power electric car during the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2021 in Tanggerang, Indonesia in November 2021. EPA
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight

Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.

Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.

Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.

“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.

Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.

Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.

However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.

With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.

In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.

The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.  

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Updated: February 08, 2022, 2:52 AM